


The Marionette

by Lokislittlearmy



Series: Miraculous Reveals [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akumatized Marinette, F/M, Kinda, Marichat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-10
Updated: 2016-02-10
Packaged: 2018-05-19 13:33:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5969038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lokislittlearmy/pseuds/Lokislittlearmy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You can’t purify it.” She went to his side. “Only Ladybug can purify akumas, and get the villain back to normal.”</p><p>	“Is there any other way?” He batted away another storm of strings. </p><p>	She paused long enough for Cat Noir to get worried. But she responded. “Marinette was akumatized because her crush agreed to go on a date with another girl. She was upset enough that Hawkmoth noticed, and the rest is what you see. You heard her earlier, though.” The kwami flitted up next to his face and spoke as quietly as possible. “She wants you, Adrien.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. It's Not Me.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Miraculous fic. Wow. It'll be 3 (kinda short) chapters, and I might continue with a series? Don't count on it, but I'm adding it to a series anyway.

The only thing keeping Adrien from getting up and walking away was his inherent need to be courteous. Even if it was to someone like Chloe. She wouldn’t stop babbling on and on about, well, whatever she was talking about. Adrien had zoned out a couple of minutes ago. He was picking up hints about a ball, one that Adrien would have to go to anyway. Chloe was just inferring that Adrien should go with her.

“Because if I show up alone, I’ll be so humiliate-”

Adrien cut her off with a sigh. “I’ll go with you.”

Chloe’s face lit up with a grin. “You will?” she squealed. The classroom door opened, Adrien glancing to the side to notice it was Marinette. Her nose turned up a little when her eyes passed over Chloe, just like Ladybug’s.

The thought brought a smile to Adrien’s face, letting him turn back to Chloe with more compassionate eyes. “Yeah. You’ll be there at seven?”

Chloe squealed again. Okay, he could understand her reluctance now. Chloe had the tendency to be...louder than most. “I’ll send a limo to pick you up. Be ready at six thirty.” She was already pulling out her phone to get things in order. “Oh, I can’t wait! You better look amazing.” She walked off with a wink, leaving Adrien to regret his life decisions.

He didn’t notice Marinette sitting down behind him with nobody to turn to. Alya wasn’t there yet, it was too early in the morning. Half the class wasn’t there yet. Her shoulders slumped in dejection. Her eyes flickered between the back of Adrien’s head and Chloe’s for a good couple of minutes before she stood and walked out.

No sooner was she out of the classroom as Tikki had flown out of her bag. She floated alongside as Marinette paced down the hall, eyebrows furrowed. “Maybe it’s not what it seems,” Tikki suggested.

“What else could it be?” Marinette said with a little speed tacked onto her step. “Oh, how could I be so stupid? Of course he would like her instead of me. Just look at me.”

“That’s not your problem, Marinette. You’re beautiful and talented! It’s probably for some other reason.” Tikki watched as Marinette slumped against the lockers, hall abandoned so early. “You have nothing to worry about.”

Marinette sighed. “I just wish I could get Adrien to notice me.” A mask of red appeared around Marinette’s eyes. Tikki’s eyes widened as she circled Marinette. Only the two could hear Hawkmoth’s monologue and see the pink-purple mask surrounding their eyes.

“Yes,” he coaxed, “Crushes are so tiresome, aren’t they? They always end in heartbreak.” Marinette’s eyes widened as she realized what was going on. Where had the akuma gotten to? Her bag? Her earrings? How could she be so blind? “Come with me, Marionette. Seek revenge on the boy that’s done you wrong.”

The girl’s hands clenched into fists, eyes narrowed in concentration. The altered version of her own name, of course. Maybe he’d had that planned all along. “No,” she spat out. “I don’t want to hurt anyone. Not even Adrien or Chloe.”

“But imagine, Marionette. You could have Adrien all to yourself. Chloe couldn’t deny it anymore, he isn’t hers. He’d be yours. And all you have to do in exchange is a small favor.”

All it would take was two words, and she could stop the struggle. Tikki hovered in front of her with trembling limbs. What would stop Marinette from just handing Hawkmoth her earrings once she was akumatized? The girl reached out to her, fingers almost touching her own tiny hand. More intrusive thoughts were seeping in by the second, and it was harder and harder for her to resist. She muttered a short ‘sorry’ to Tikki and stood, tears brimming at her eyes. “Yes, Hawkmoth.”

Black bubbling consumed her, starting from her purse. Of course. She watched in dread as it engulfed her torso, her legs, her arms, and finally her head. 

And everything went dark.


	2. It's Her?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cat Noir stepped towards her, boots thumping against the marble. “What do you want, little akuma?” He reached a hand out to her. Maybe, just maybe, he could get her to stop before Ladybug showed up.
> 
> Gone was the devilish glint, now all Marionette had was anger. Her cheeks flushed and eyes narrowed. One heeled foot stepped back. “That’s not important.”
> 
> “It is,” he insisted. “Why are you angry, Marinette?”

It took a while for anybody to notice Marinette’s absence, but Adrien was the first. It had been fifteen minutes or so, and she’d left her bag right on her desk. He slipped out of the classroom. He’d just check to make sure she was okay, even though he had no reason to. After all, Marinette was just a classmate, right? But a little ball of fear spoke out against his will. So he beckoned Plagg into his jacket and set off down the hall.

“She’s probably fine,” Plagg whined. “Can’t we just go back?”

“I want to make sure. I feel like something’s off around here.” Adrien started down the stairs to the court. His eyes were darting around as soon as his foot hit the ground. He was walking across the courtyard when he heard heels tap against the balcony’s marble. He twisted around to look at his almost-assailant.

Of course it was Marinette. But it wasn’t her, not really. The jet black hair was down around her face, swooping over her shoulders. She wore a frilly pink dress that spanned out around her. Strings hung from every finger and limb. Her eyes were narrowed at him with not hatred but...what was that? The same look Cat Noir always gave the villains when he knew they had them right where they wanted.

She lept over the railing with one string tied to it and lowered herself to the ground. Adrien slowly started backing away. Maybe Cat Noir wasn’t here, but he prayed Ladybug would be able to fix this situation. But no sooner had he thought that than something small and pink peeked out from behind Marinette. “Adrien,” Marionette welcomed. 

“What do you want?” he asked. He kept backing away but the girl was following at the same pace. He could feel Plagg trembling inside his jacket pocket.

All she offered was a smile twisting at her lips that curved the lines branching from the corners. “You, of course.” She swung a string towards him in a wide arc. He ducked down and ended up falling. It swung around, above Marinette’s head and back to rest beside her as she continued towards him. “Don’t be so harsh. I won’t hurt you.”

Adrien scrambled to his feet and took off down the hall. He couldn’t wait for Ladybug, otherwise that villain would capture him. And what would he say when Cat Noir didn’t show up at all? He ducked into a crevice in the hall until she passed. “Plagg, we need to transform,” he whispered.

The kwami shook his head, still trembling. “No, no, no. I-” He slid out of Adrien’s jacket and watched Marinette go down the hall. His eyes focused in on Tikki, small and sweet at Marinette’s side, looking back at them with anxiety. He let a breath out and turned to Adrien. “Don’t hurt her.”

While Adrien might not have known Plagg’s reasoning, he might have understood his worries. He nodded. ”I would never. Plagg, transform me!”

The bright flash of light made Marionette turn back. Cat Noir stepped out into the middle of the hall with a leisurely pace. “Hm, let me guess. The strings, the painted lines on your face, would you be a Marionette?”

A devilish glint came to Marionette’s eyes as she faced Cat Noir down. “What else could I be?”

Cat Noir stepped towards her, boots thumping against the marble. “What do you want, little akuma?” He reached a hand out to her. Maybe, just maybe, he could get her to stop before Ladybug showed up.

Gone was the devilish glint, now all Marionette had was anger. Her cheeks flushed and eyes narrowed. One heeled foot stepped back. “That’s not important.”

“It is,” he insisted. “Why are you angry, Marinette?”

“I’m not Marinette!” she snapped, lashing out with an armful of strings. Cat Noir ducked and swiped away the strings with his baton. He stood slowly, and proceeded more slowly than before until she started actually fighting. Strings swung out at him left and right. Their battle pushed them back into the courtyard. He extended his baton and swung it at her, only for her to swing herself away to the other side of the court. She was out of breath already. Good, she just might tire herself out. But where was her akuma?

Something tapped at his shoulder. It might have not even distracted him if that thing tapping wasn’t small and floating and pink with black spots. As soon as he noticed, it flitted right behind him and started talking just loud enough for him to hear. “The akuma is in her purse. Don’t hurt her, you don’t have Ladybug’s clean up crew to fix her up.”

“She’ll show up eventually, right?” he muttered to her. Marionette started swinging again, and Cat Noir and the thing dodged out of the way.

“No, she won’t.”

Cat Noir narrowed his eyes. What possible reason could she have for not showing up, when-

Oh. _Oh._ His moments stalled momentarily as he soaked it in. God, did that make sense. She _was_ Ladybug. The thing floating behind him was her kwami. And her being Ladybug meant that he had no way to help her.

“What do I do?” Cat Noir panicked, swirling his baton to guard off the strings.

“Her purse has the akuma,” the kwami explained. “If you get the akuma-” She cut off, even though Marionette’s attacks stayed constant. “Oh.”

“What?”

“You can’t purify it.” She went to his side. “Only Ladybug can purify akumas, and get the villain back to normal.”

“Is there any other way?” He batted away another storm of strings. 

She paused long enough for Cat Noir to get worried. But she responded. “Marinette was akumatized because her crush agreed to go on a date with another girl. She was upset enough that Hawkmoth noticed, and the rest is what you see. You heard her earlier, though.” The kwami flitted up next to his face and spoke as quietly as possible. “She wants you, Adrien.”

If that wasn’t a clink in his rhythm. Marionette’s strings wrapped around his baton and pulled him towards her. “You know who I am?” he sputtered as the spotted kwami flew beside him.

“Of course I do,” she hissed. He pulled his baton from the strings and kept blocking. “All kwamis know who holds each Miraculous. Listen, if she finds out who you are, she’ll stop attacking. She doesn’t really care about your ring. She just wants to ask you on a date.”

Cat Noir’s eyes narrowed at Marionette. He gave an affirmative nod. “I know what I have to do.” He shouted out to Marionette, “Ah, I’m getting tired. What do you say to a little cat nap? You have someone you’re after, don’t you?”

Marionette’s assault stopped. She stared across at him with a tilted head before swinging a string to the doorway. She took off down the streets of Paris, swinging across rooftops.

“Plagg, detransform!” With a flash of green lighting and black dust, Cat Noir was Adrien once again. Plagg fell into his hand with a groan.

“This seems really overcomplicated. Can’t you just defeat her as Cat Noir?”

Adrien glared Plagg down. “No, I can’t. You heard her kwami. She doesn’t care about Cat Noir.” He looked over to the spotted kwami. “What’s your name, by the way?”

“Tikki. Now let’s go!”

The three raced down the stairs. “Where would she go?” Adrien mused, looking around frantically.

“To your house, maybe?” Plagg suggested. “You do tend to disappear whenever there’s an akuma nearby.”

Adrien started racing to his house without a second mind to how he might appear to people on the street. Marinette needed his help. Ladybug needed his help. So with two kwami right behind him, he took off down the street, wind flying through his hair more than it did when he was Cat Noir.


	3. It's You.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “How would you know how Ladybug feels?” Her face flushed in anger. 
> 
> Little warning bells were going off in Adrien’s mind, but he went on. “I don’t, of course, but I like to think I know her well enough-” Don’t blow your cover, _minou_ , “-that I know how she feels about Chloe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I use too many italicized words in this? Probably. Do I regret it? _Non, mon/ma cher/ie_

Marionette got there first, of course. She swung herself right over the tall concrete and into their yard, looking around. The last time she’d been here was as Ladybug, defeating the Bubbler. A fleeting worry crossed her mind about Tikki, but it was gone as soon as it came. Hopefully Hawkmoth couldn’t actually read her mind. How he knew which window was Adrien’s room was something she wouldn’t question right now. She swung herself in and waited by the window.

Adrien pushed through the doors and darted up to his room, as Tikki suggested. “To think Ladybug will have been in your room,” Plagg teased. Tikki rolled her eyes and urged Adrien on.

The door to his room opened with ease, the two kwami hiding in his jacket. Marionette waited with bated breath across the room. Adrien decided to proceed with caution, taking slow steps forward. He was trying to get her back to normal, right? “Marinette?” he questioned. The strings tied around her fingers recoiled, her face curling in disgust. “Please, don’t do this. You don’t have to be Marionette anymore, I promise.”

She shook her head with a laugh and looked to the ground. Beneath the white gloves, her knuckles were white in gripping the windowsill. “You’ve never noticed me. And I was stupid for thinking you would. But now-” Her eyes shifted to him, looking through her eyelashes. “How could you not?”

“Marinette, please-”

“It’s not Marinette anymore,” she said through gritted teeth. She took a step towards him, and Adrien took a step back. 

“Marinette!”

“I said don’t call me that!” she screamed. Her strings lashed out to wrap around him and capture him. Marionette walked to him without loosening up. She was less than a foot away when she started talking again. “I-” she cut off. A look of realization crossed her face as she looked away. “Why am I doing this?” A step away from him. “I can’t do this,” she breathed. Adrien felt the strings loosen ever so slightly. That familiar mask outlined her face again, and the strings tightened with the tightening of her fist. “Until Cat Noir shows up, I can’t leave.” She laughed. “It shouldn’t be too long, right? The famous Adrien Agreste is in trouble, he should come running in no time.” 

A pit of fear balled in Adrien’s stomach. Ladybug wasn’t an option, and Cat Noir was a little tied up right now. What now? How long would it be before Marionette started realizing things? Before Hawkmoth did? “Marionette,” he sighed.

She turned to him. “Yes, Adrien?”

“We might be waiting for a while. Could you at least not keep me like this?” He used his limited arm motion to gesture to the strings. They loosened until she could retract them, allowing Adrien his full range of motion. It was about that point that Adrien realized what he could do with the situation. Marionette’s goal was to get Adrien, right? How perfect. “Marionette, you were akumatized because you thought I liked Chloe, right?”

Marionette seemed to curl in on herself. She took a step back, strings trembling around her. “Yes, I guess.”

“Well, that’s stupid,” Adrien laughed off. “I’m just going with her so she’ll stop asking me about it. I could never love someone who causes so many problems for Ladybug.”

She raised her eyebrows. “For Ladybug?”

“Yeah,” Adrien said. He shrugged and strolled over to his desk chair. Marionette’s eyes followed him. “She causes so many akumas. No wonder Ladybug’s fed up with her.”

“How would you know how Ladybug feels?” Her face flushed in anger. 

Little warning bells were going off in Adrien’s mind, but he went on. “I don’t, of course, but I like to think I know her well enough-” Don’t blow your cover, _minou_ , “-that I know how she feels about Chloe.”

Her eyes narrowed as she stalked towards him with crossed arms. “I guess so,” she mused. Adrien stood, putting them less than two feet from each other.

“And Ladybug, she’s so sweet. I’d love to get to know her beneath the mask.” The two kwami flew out to hide just behind Marionette. They both made gestures to him, asking what the everloving hell he was doing. He put a hand on her arm. “But I bet she doesn’t hold a candle to you, Marinette.”

Beneath the pink mask, she blushed so much that you’d think she wasn’t akumatized. Tikki paused her gestures as she realized what Adrien was doing. Plagg held back a groan and floated down.

“You’re so much better than Chloe, honestly. You think I haven’t noticed you before? Please, I notice you every day,” he reassured. “You, the sweet fashion designer, so compassionate, so kind.” He stepped closer to her, putting them less than a foot apart. Marionette’s strings twirled around them, just hovering in caution. “Hair darker than night and those bluebell eyes.” He might have been somewhat stealing from his poem now. Plagg rolled his eyes and sunk down further behind Marionette. “I want to know who you are beneath that mask, Marinette.”

He slowly bent down to press their lips together.

A rush of black dust swirled around them both. It erased the strings, the dress, making everything back to as it was before the akuma touched Marinette’s purse. All at once, it stopped, leaving just Marinette and Adrien embraced in a kiss. Marinette’s eyes flew open. Adrien pulled back, opening his eyes with hesitance. He didn’t really see how in shock Marinette was. He just saw that she was herself, and that was just about all he needed. Tikki beamed from behind Marinette. Plagg was on Adrien’s desk, knocking his head repeatedly against the tabletop. He hid behind one of the monitors before either of them noticed.

He separated them with a grin spread across his face. “Marinette,” he welcomed.

“Adrien,” Marinette managed to breathe out. Not that she was sure she could breathe. The last thing she remembered was- “Oh my god, was I akumatized? What happened? Why am I in your room? Where’s Cat Noir?” She stepped back, looking around wildly. More importantly to her, where was Tikki?

“Uh.” Adrien looked around for answers. “It’s a long story. But we need to get to school, right?” He noticed, out of the corner of his eye, Tikki dart into Marinette’s purse. 

Her hand instinctively darted over it. Okay, she was safe. “I’m more concerned about what’s going on right now.” She took a step back, shoulders tensing. She could feel the light weight of the earrings, so she knew that was safe.

What was he supposed to tell her? How could he say anything without giving away his identity, or the fact that he now knew who hers? Or should he hide it at all anymore? “Y-you were akumatized,” he started. He’d have to decide quickly and choose his words carefully. “I-” Tikki glanced at him from the purse, clasp cracked just a tiny bit. She nodded and waved him along. He sighed. “Ladybug didn’t show up, but then Cat Noir did, and he realized that Marionette was after me.” Marinette blushed so red you’d think she’d popped a blood vessel, but Adrien went on. “So he led you here. He was really worried about Ladybug, so he went to go find her, and then-”

Tikki’s eyes were burning a hole through him. How did he say even a word more without telling her the truth? He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but Marinette cut him off with a hand raised. “I’m sorry,” she said with eyes averted. “You don’t have to tell me the whole thing. I don’t know what happened, but you’re probably really uncomfortable. I shouldn’t have been so upset, anyway. It’s not like-” she cut herself off, blushing a shade deeper.

Adrien stepped toward her to gain her attention. It worked. Her eyes met his as he looked down at her. “Marinette. I had this conversation with the Marionette. But that date with Chloe isn’t something I want to do. At all.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s just so she’ll stop talking about it all the time.” 

The thought crossed his mind that the girl he’d been pining after for so long was standing right in front of him, whether she realized it or not. And she _liked him back_. This was his chance. “But maybe you’d like to go with me instead?”

Plagg peeked out from behind the monitor to watch the exchange. Of course she would say yes. How many times in his life had Ladybug and Cat Noir been perfect for each other? Too many, if you asked him, but that was beside the point. Marinette’s eyes lit up with her smile, and she nodded. She could feel Tikki radiating encouragement from her purse. 

What came next would be difficult, wouldn’t it? Cat Noir stopping his pursuit after Ladybug despite what he knew. And how long would it be before he finally confessed?

That didn’t matter now. What mattered that the girl of his dreams, the boy of her dreams, was finally saying yes. 

Cat Noir could worry about the rest later.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments? Questions? Requests? My writing tumblr is therearenowindows.


End file.
